Shloka 48

ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana

River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor

Devanagari script

सवृक्षौषधिरत्नेयं सहसत्त्ववनाकरा

Transliteration

savṛkṣauṣadhiratneyāṃ sahasattvavanākarā

Translation

ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഈ ഭൂമി വൃക്ഷങ്ങളും ഔഷധസസ്യങ്ങളും രത്നങ്ങളും കൊണ്ട് സമൃദ്ധമാണ്; അനവധി ജീവികളാൽ നിറഞ്ഞതും വനങ്ങളും ഖനികളും കൊണ്ട് പരിപൂർണ്ണവുമാണ്.

Word by Word

• सवृक्षौषधिरत्ना: having trees, herbs, and jewels
• सवृक्षौषधिरत्ना: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सवृक्ष-औषधि-रत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• इयम्: this (she/this one)
• इयम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• सहसत्त्ववनाकरा: having (many) beings and forests as mines/abodes; rich in creatures and forests
• सहसत्त्ववनाकरा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सह-सत्त्व-वन-आकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Earth (Pṛthivī/Bhūmi)
• Trees
• Medicinal herbs
• Gems
• Living beings
• Forests
• Mines

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames the earth as a richly endowed trust—full of life and resources—implying an ethical duty of protection and responsible governance rather than exploitation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and statecraft; here he describes the earth’s abundance (trees, medicines, gems, forests, mines) as part of his broader counsel on rulership and welfare.